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Holiday to Milan-The Da Vinci Code

On our second day in Milan, we started by having breakfast in our hotel. I’m pretty gutted I didn’t take any photos of the buffet, as for three Euros a day there was a great selection of food, including bread and cheeses and the best mini custard doughnuts!

Once we’d filled up on food we took the train to Piazza del Duomo which is the central area, as that’s where our three hour walking tour started from.

As the cycle race Giro d’Italia was finishing in the centre, it was super busy and buzzing so I didn’t get a tonne of photos, but our tour guide was really great.

We admired Duomo and learnt how the construction of it took 600 years to complete, about the statues of the saints on the spires and loads more.

A close up.

Do you recognise the female statue with the spiked crown?

The Statue of Liberty in New York was supposedly based on this statue.

After learning more about Duomo, we headed just opposite to the famous shopping centre, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Our guide told us about the four paintings on the walls in the shopping centre and how they represent different regions of the world and about the lucky bull!

Whilst in the UK we ‘touch wood’, in Italy you touch iron or if you can’t find iron, men touch their private parts for luck. So in the shopping centre, people spin on the bulls balls three times for luck.

Me spinning around.

We walked the beautiful streets of Milan, learning about the Teatro Alla Scala (opera house).

Before stopping in the Brera District for a drink. I tried a coffee but as nice as this one looked, I’m still not a fan!

Our next stop was to Castello Sforzesco (Sforza Castle), which was originally built as a fortress in the 14th century and later used as a palace and residence by the powerful Sforza family.

The fountain outside the castle is often called the ‘Wedding Cake’ fountain due to its shape.

And then it was time for the big finale, going to see one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings, The Last Supper.

We tried to book to see the painting months in advance but it had already sold out, which is why we booked to do the walking tour as it included entry to see The Last Supper.

Only small groups can enter and view the painting at any one time and you get 15 minutes in total to admire Da Vinci’s work of art.

The Last Supper took Da Vinci four years to paint between 1494-1498 and was painted in an experimental way on a dry plaster wall instead of on fresh, wet plaster. Due to this, the painting started to deteriorate quickly and the heat and humidity also caused further damage.

The Last Supper was a controversial painting at the time, as all religious paintings depicted saints and disciples as straight faced and unable to show emotion. Jesus would always be painted with a halo above his head, as would saints and Jesus would often be painted with yellow skin to show he was other-worldly.

Da Vinci painted Jesus as a regular man and his disciples clearly look shocked and show emotion in The Last Supper painting, as Jesus says one of them will betray him. As Da Vinci was friends with the Sforza family he got away with his controversial painting, even if it wasn’t popular.

The Last Supper is a large, intricately painted and realistic work of art. It’s definitely worth seeing and it was one of my highlights from our visit to Milan.

As our walking tour concluded, we stopped off at Chocolat Milano for ice cream.

I got a mixture of Stracciatella and After Eight ice creams, both of which were delicious. Chocolat Milano was my favourite gelato shop that we visited whilst in Italy.

And then we got the train back into the centre of Milan. We spent more time around Duomo, we browsed the shops and found the statue of Leonardo da Vinci.

The statue at the top is Da Vinci himself and underneath are statues of his four favourite students. Also depicted is Da Vinci’s different disciplines and things he mastered, such as painting, sculpting, engineering and architecture.

After wandering around, we stopped off for drinks with a view.

Before going to Il Salotto for dinner. We usually avoid eating in touristy places like those in the Galleria shopping centre, but as we liked the look of the menu, we took a chance.

I had a risotto and my partner had the best tagliatelle, which I kept eating.

After a great meal, we took some photos of us outside Duomo.

Before heading back to our hotel to catch some sleep, ready for our last full day in Milan.

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20 thoughts on “Holiday to Milan-The Da Vinci Code”

Piazza del Duomo is so intricate! So interesting about that statue inspiring the Statue of Liberty!
Also an interesting tidbit about touching iron instead of wood! We touch wood here for luck too! 😛
Oooh the After Eight ice cream sounds delicious!
So amazing that you got to view The Last Supper in person. I can’t wait to one of these days!

About your question on places to visit – how about Croatia? It’s beautiful and not too expensive!

It is so intricate. When you’re up close to it you can see how much detail it has. And you can see the similarities between the two statues.
I found that interesting, as I’ve never really heard touch iron.
It was so good! I love mint choc ice cream, it’s one of my faves😊 It’s such a stunning painting. When I learnt the history and story behind the painting, I loved it even more. I could have done a whole post on it, as there’s loads more to say on it. When our guide showed us other paintings from the time, Da Vinci’s was so modern and different. Really fascinating to visit☺ Croatia has been on our list for a while as it looks gorgeous. Only issue is last summer in Slovenia, people said avoid Croatia in summer as it gets more pricey and super crowded. Xx

My first thought was Statue of Liberty! Interesting because it was a gift from France but has Italian origins too I’m guessing. The gelato looks delicious! Lovely pictures as ever, your selfies at the end with your partner are lovely 🙂 x

You’re posts are always so informative, I love how much detail and facts you put into them. I didn’t know that the The Last Supper was supposedly a frowned upon painting, or that it took Da Vinci 4 years to paint it. The ice cream from chocolate Milano looks amazing too! X

Aaw thanks hun. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I try to give a bit of information on each attraction, incase people didn’t know much about Duomo or The Last Supper already. I know I like learning about new places☺ It was really interesting to learn about the painting. There was so much more I could have wrote about it! The ice cream was so nice from there😊 xx

You’re welcome! I did, it was really insightful! Yeah it’s a good idea, people can learn something from your posts! Me too! Ah really? I would love to go, it looks / sounds so interesting! The ice cream looked delicious! X

Oh my gosh what an amazing tour!!! The whole Statue of Liberty thing is so cool!!! I love that we incorporated some art from Milan ❤ That is so funny about the Bull Balls, but pfft I would do it too- I need all the luck I can get!!! I can't even begin to imagine how cool it must've been standing in front of thee actual The Last Supper painting, how incredible!!! That is a moment to remember for sure! I'm honestly surprised that they even let the public take photos of it! I hear that the gelato in Italy is unlike any other ice cream/gelato….and by the looks of it- I totally believe it!!! It was so cool to follow along on this trip, I loved every second of it!!!

It is cool. I didn’t know it was inspired by the Milan statue but there’s definite similarities😊 Haha it is funny. I still had to spin though. Always got to try for more luck☺ Such an incredible painting and really special to see in person😊 The room is kept dark and cool and you can’t use flash photography to protect it. The gelato in Italy is the best! Rome does the absolute best gelato I’ve ever tried☺ Aaw thanks hun. The next part should be up tomorrow xx

Oh my gosh I am obsessed with the Duomo and really REALLY want to go!
I love reading and learning about other superstitions! In the US we also touch wood!
All the architecture has me seriously drooling and fan-girling right now! I love architecture and art and Italy has some of the most amazing structures. I really really want to go! Your pictures are stunning and while I am sure it is even more spectacular in person, they really do capture Italy’s essence.

I must have taken a million photos of Duomo. Such a gorgeous cathedral☺ Italy has stunning buildings and architecture. So much history too😊 It is stunning to see in person but I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my photos. It does give an insight into Milan and how lovely it is☺ xx